2002-09-26 04:00:00 PDT Washington -- In a blow to White House efforts to unite Congress behind a potential war with Iraq, the Senate's top Democrat accused President Bush Wednesday of politicizing the debate and demanded he apologize for questioning the commitment of Democrats to the nation's defense.

"That is outrageous," Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., said in an angry speech on the Senate floor. He lambasted Bush for implying recently that Democrats were "not interested in the security of the American people."

The bitter outburst -- which touched off a vitriolic exchange between party leaders -- is likely to slow efforts to win congressional approval of a resolution giving Bush broad authority to use force against Iraq.

That, in turn, could complicate Bush's effort to build support in the international community for a tough new stance toward Iraq.

Congressional leaders had earlier said they hoped to reach agreement with the White House on the wording of the Iraq resolution by the end of this week and bring the measure to a vote next week. Now, there are doubts about whether such quick agreement is possible.

"We have a ways to go," said House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt, D-Mo. "I don't know if we'll pull that off or not."

Daschle's speech brought to the surface the deep anxieties many Democrats have expressed privately that Bush has been pushing for a pre-election debate on Iraq to bolster GOP candidates and to eclipse a Democratic agenda that focuses on domestic issues.

But White House officials and other Republicans said Daschle had taken Bush's comments out of context and urged Democrats to cool their rhetoric.

"Now is a time for everybody concerned to take a deep breath and stop finger-pointing," said White House spokesman Ari Fleischer.

Democratic concerns about Bush's motives in the Iraq debate have become more acute in recent days as Republicans began airing campaign ads in conservative states such as South Dakota and Arkansas suggesting that Democratic Senate candidates were weak on defense.

PRESIDENT ON THE STUMP

Bush, meanwhile, is in the midst of an aggressive schedule of political appearances and has been speaking with increasing forcefulness about Iraq while campaigning for GOP candidates.

Daschle's words were triggered by a comment Bush made Monday during a political trip to Trenton, N.J., and was a variation on a theme that's become a staple of his campaign speeches.

Speaking of a debate over legislation to create a Department of Homeland Security, Bush said, "The House responded, but the Senate is more interested in special interests in Washington and not interested in the security of the American people."

Debate on that homeland security bill is now in its fourth week with no end in sight. Democrats are pushing a new compromise on rights for workers in the proposed department, but Republicans say it is a nonstarter.

The bill has bogged down in the Senate over Bush's insistence on a provision -- opposed by Democrats and their labor union allies -- to give him more flexibility in managing employees of the new department.

The compromise offered Wednesday, prepared by a centrist Republican, Sen. Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, and Democratic Sens. John Breaux of Louisiana and Ben Nelson of Nebraska, would grant Bush some flexibility on civil service rules but would limit his ability to waive collective bargaining rights for certain employees within the department.

But Fleischer said Bush would veto the bill if it included the compromise language.

"If homeland security does not pass in the Senate, it will be true that the Senate will not have acted to protect the American people's security," Fleischer said.

ANGRY DEFENSE

The usually mild-mannered Daschle rose angrily on the Senate floor to defend his party's record on national security. He invoked the many Democratic lawmakers who are military veterans, such as Sen. Daniel Inouye of Hawaii, who lost an arm in World War II combat.

"The president ought to apologize to Sen. Inouye and every veteran who has fought in every war who is a Democrat in the Senate," Daschle said. "Our founding fathers would be embarrassed by what they are seeing going on right now."

Earlier in the day, Bush offered a low-key response when asked whether he was "politicizing the war."

"My job is to protect the American people," he told reporters. "And I will continue to do that, regardless of the season."

But Republicans in the Senate were more vitriolic in their response to Daschle's speech.

"I thought he was way over the top," said Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott,

Daschle's remarks were welcomed by fellow Democrats, who flocked to the floor during his speech and offered support in speeches of their own. His comments were especially gratifying to those who thought their party leaders had been too willing to embrace Bush's policy.

"I was very alone in urging caution," said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. "There's been a rush on both sides to go (into Iraq) and wage war."